Improved fruit-jar



1. JOHNSON.4

i Frui't Jr. Y

'Patented May 16. 1865-c [reunion .PATENT OFFICE.

Josnn JOHNSON, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

, IIVIPROVED FRUIT-JAR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,731, dated May 16,1865;

.To @ZZ whom 13b may concern,.-

Beit known that I, JosEE JOHNSON, of New York city, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Tight Cans for Preserving Fruits, Meats, 8m.; `and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and yexact description thereof."

The accompanying drawing forms apart of this specification, and represents a central longitudinal section through my can and its attachments. l

I employ cans of glass, potterylware, or other fragile material incased in a rectangular protection of wood, and adapt the latter to serve the double purpose not only of incasing and protecting the fragile can from injury and enabling me to stow with safety great quantities of cans one upon another, but also ofsecuring the cover, or whatever the sealing device may be termed, and pressing it with any desired degree of force upon the mouth of the can. I frame together the parts of the wooden protection or framing, so that the inaterial locks itself, as will be obvious on inspection ofthe drawing. I secure the parts additionally by nails or other-ordinary means; but the strain due to holding the cover upon the can, or the strain due to piling the weight of large quantities of cans one upon'the other, is mainly borne by the shoulders, where the pieces of wood lock together. I can use the most ordinary kind of lumber, and can pre? pare the pieces very rapidly by machinery.

My cans may be of the cheapest character, and the sealing is cheap, sure, and very rapidly removed when the contents of the can are required for use. The screw which forces the cover upon the can and compresses the rubber or other sealing material may be an ordinary screw-nail or wood-screw operated by a screw-driver; but I prefer employing a stout thumb-screw and tapping it through a small piece of metal let into the framing, as represented. The locking ends of my envelope protect the head of the thumb-screw by compelling the adjacent can andframing to stand at a little distance therefrom. I have represented the outlines of an adjoining framing to show' how my cans are packed together in being piled up in quantities.

It will be observed that my casings, although open on two faces, are sufficiently wide to eX- ceed the width of the inclosed can, and thus to protect theinclosed can by keeping the other cans at a little distance therefrom in stowing.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation in detail bythe aid of the drawing, and of the letters of reference marked thereon.

A is a can of glass. VB is a disk of vulcanized india-rubber. G is a cast-iron cover provided with a lip, c, extending around its periphery and adapted to overlap the edge of the can A. D is a thumb-screw tapped through a nut or small casting,E.i G and El iare-end pieces, and I and J longitudinal pieces, of the framing which incloses the entire can in the manner represented. rlhese parts may be made of pine boards. The parts I and J are channeled across, by sawing with a gang of saws or otherwise, to awidth equal to the thickness ofthe pieces G and H, and receive the crosspieces G and H, being driven together slightly by a hammer and secured against accidental displacements by a few nails, t' and j. The nut or casting E is let into a recess in the crosspiece G, and forms a strong bearing for the l threads of the screw D. rIhe cross-piece H is recessed to receive the bottom ofthe can A and hold it securely in the central position.

My can A is filled in the ordinary manner. The cover C and sealing material B are placed thereon, the whole placed in position in the framing G H I J and the screw D turned to secure the same. The ordinary operations maybe employed to expel the air from the Y contentsnof the can, after which, the screwD being turned so as to compress the sealing material B very tightly, the whole is removed and stored in, a cool place, ready for use, preservation, or shipping. 4

My cans A may be made, as represented, with very open mouths, or the orifice at the top may be contracted, as usual. On unscrewingD the can A, with its cover B C, may be readily removed from the casing, and the contents of the can are then immediately accessi-,

ble, there being no difficult mechanism to operate in detaching they cover C and the rubber or other sealing material, B.

I propose in some cases to grind or otherwise nicely inish the upper edge of the can A and the inner face ofthe cover Gand apthus to dispense with the employment of any rubber or other soft material, B. ,The recess in the part H may also be dispensed with, the pressure of the screw D upon the cover C being amply sufficient to hold the can in a central position.

I do not confine myself tothe precise material designated for the envelope G H I J, or for the can A or the other parts; but,

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. Inclosing the inner or true can, A, within a casing, G H I J, wider than the can A, so as to protect it from the pressure of the adjacent cans in being piled, without the necessity for closing the remaining faces of the oasing, al1 substantially as and for the purposes herein vset forth.

2. The screw D, or equivalent mechanical device, in combination with a detachable and protecting case, and adapted to compress the cover C and the can A rmly together and to release the same as desired, substantially in lthe manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. In combination with aprotected can, A, locking together the parts of the protectingenvelope by inserting the ends of the crosspieces G and H into channels in the parts I and J at a considerable distance from the ends of the latter, so as to strengthen the envelope and protect the head of the thumb-screw D, or its equivalent, by the projecting ends of I and J, substantially as herein set forth. Y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J OSEE JOHNSON. Witnesses:

KIMBALL W. STnTsoN, D. W. STETsoN. 

